Stephen D
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I get my eggs from the grocer, but I do want to know what's up with that sophisticated door control on your coop!
Chickens - How Cold Is Too Cold?
- Thread starter LittleBittyBigJohn
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LittleBittyBigJohn
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Automatic door. It's got light sensors and timers to open at daybreak and close at dusk, or by times entered. I found out real quick that I did not want to be handcuffed to their door every morning and evening at the same time. Now if I don't get home until after dark the girls are still safe from predators, or if I sleep in they still get out at their normal time.
In the evenings after they go to bed I put feed out for them, check the water, gather eggs, and do a head count. I use a timer for the close door time. They like to stay out just a little too late and the light sensor would lock them out pretty regularly. I set the timer for about 30 min after dark and there are no issues. Door opens on the light sensor in the mornings and that works well.
Oaktree
Super Member
How do you deal with stragglers in the evening? When my wife had chickens there were always one or two that needed to be shoo'ed inside at night.
jyoutz
Super Member
Stragglers will come in once it’s fully dark.
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LittleBittyBigJohn
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Yeah, this.
NewHampJim
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Well I live in NH and never added heat to my coops. I make sure they have a thick 4" layer of fresh shavings on the floor as needed but Chickens can handle the cold pretty good. Duck are less tolerable of the cold for future reference. Only in severe cold climates that's where heat would be a concern for themThis is my first winter with chickens. So far they are all doing well and I'm still getting around 8 eggs a day from 9 hens. It's been down in the 20's a few nights here and there. Other than a little crust of ice on their water, they seem to be doing fine. On my coop below I covered the windows with clear plastic to stop the drafts. At what point do I need to add some form of heat? I already have several inches of straw in the bottom but they roost up high so other than insulation for the coop it's not doing anything for them.
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..My chicken coops are built like Fort Knox, draft free but ventilated. Only heat in winter is the water bowl.dcarman
Bronze Member
In North Pole AK they will be out walking arpound when it's -20. Just keep the water thawed and food available and they are fine.This is my first winter with chickens. So far they are all doing well and I'm still getting around 8 eggs a day from 9 hens. It's been down in the 20's a few nights here and there. Other than a little crust of ice on their water, they seem to be doing fine. On my coop below I covered the windows with clear plastic to stop the drafts. At what point do I need to add some form of heat? I already have several inches of straw in the bottom but they roost up high so other than insulation for the coop it's not doing anything for them.
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NoTrespassing
Veteran Member
Ours are in an open-air moveable enclosure. When the temperature drops below freezing, I put a tarp over it. Laying will slow when there is less sunlight and when they molt in the fall. If you want more eggs, put a light on a timer in with them. Make sure they have plenty of food and water and they will be fine.
walterramjet
New member
I used to keep a simple heat lamp inside the henhouse for 2 months every year. there were some pretty bad winters when several layers decided to molt. they survived, looking very naked in the coldest part of the year, but it only got down to 32 f that year.
charlessenf
Gold Member
Pretty coop!
" chickens have an easy time dealing with the cold - not so with the heat "
Been raising chickens here (NC Foothills) for fifteen years. No fancy coop. Birds 'free-range' during the day and roost in the peach tree and in a tarp-covered chain-link "enclosure" as soon as it gets dark.
I can't recall the source, but cold hardy breeds have smaller combs and those that have the larger surface area combs can suffer some damage to their combs - frostbite? - in sub-freezing temperatures.
However, five hens on a roost generate lots of heat. If protected from the wind-chill, they should do fine.
You can get a temperature regulating outlet designed for protecting pipes from freezing and an old aluminium griddle (Salvation Army Store? Habitat ReStore? Thrift Shop?) and you've got a temperature regulated heat panel that can be mounted low on the wall of a coop (remove the plastic feet and you will find mounting holes for this purpose) so the heat will rise as nature intended - provide ventilation with such a setup 'cause you do not want to cook your chickens with their feathers on.
Leave 'em be - they got along w/o us before they met us - some of them may even prefer the good old days.
See my Electric Nesting Boxes:
Electric Nesting Boxes
Electric Nesting Boxes: I made an electrified nesting box to keep my puppy from stealing the eggs. For days we would find fresh egg shells off the the left of the nest box. Whatever was taking the eggs was not taking them far - about five feet max. I set up a trail camer…
www.instructables.com
See my coffee feed scoopers:
Feed Scoops From Coffee
Feed Scoops From Coffee: I made long-handled scoops to collect feed (Dog/Chicken) from 55 Gallon and tall rat-proof barrels to make it easier to get to the last kibble/kernel. It seems that, as I age well, I've less tolerance for the odd bit of extra work/effort I once thou…
www.instructables.com
For those that insist on making their chickens as comfortable as possible see this wiki: "How to Protect Chicken Combs from Winter Cold: 11 Steps."
